Report from Worcester - 1/6/2014

Report from Worcester - 1\/6\/2014The Report from Worcester is a weekly update on the San Jose Sharks AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks.

The Report from Worcester is a weekly update on the San Jose Sharks AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks.

Shark Snap Shot:

The Worcester Sharks (14-15-2-1, 31pts) chomped two out of a possible eight points last week (1-3-0-0) to finish off a season long five game road trip with a 1-3-1-0 record.

The Sharks ended 2013 with a tough 2-1 loss vs the Phantoms in Adirondack on Tuesday and began 2014 with a 3-0 loss in Providence vs. the Bruins. Worcester bounced back with an impressive 3-2 road win in Hartford on Saturday but ended the weekend with a nightmarish 8-2 loss to the Bruins in Providence on Sunday.

Rookie forward Eriah Hayes received his 1st NHL recall on Friday and made his NHL debut for the SJ Sharks in a 3-2 shootout win in Chicago vs. the Blackhawks on Sunday evening. Rookie defenseman Dylan Demelo scored his 1st professional goal on Sunday vs. Malcolm Subban in the Sharks 8-2 loss in Providence.

The Worcester Sharks player of the week nominee is forward Travis Oleksuk. The 24-year-old forward from Thunder Bay, Ontario recorded his 4th goal of the season, fired 12 shots, and won several key face-offs in four games last week.

MILESTONE ALERT:
Veteran defenseman Rob Davison played in professional game #700 in the Sharks 2-1 loss in Adirondack on Dec 31.

PROMOTIONAL UPDATE:
The Worcester Sharks host three games this weekend beginning with a 7:30pm start on Friday vs. the Hartford Wolf Pack on a $2-$2-$2 Friday night where hot dogs popcorn and soda are just $2. Friday night’s game will be the first of four carried live on Charter TV3.

On Saturday, the Sharks host the Norfolk Admirals at 7pm with the first 2,000 fans receiving a “Dirty Harri” movie poster presented by WTAG. Doors open at 1:30pm for the 5th annual High School Hockey Showdown which will feature the Shrewsbury Colonials vs. the Algonquin Tomahawks. The girls’ varsity game is at 2pm and the boys’ game at 4pm.

On Sunday the Sharks host the Portland Pirates at 3pm on $5 Kids Sundays presented by Hebert Candies. Boston Garden Legend Rene Rancourt will perform the national anthem and sign autographs at the game!

Few things to know….

The Worcester Sharks are currently in 5th place (14-15-2-1, 31pts) in the Atlantic Division and 13th place overall in the Eastern Conference. – the Sharks trail by seven points for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East but have one game in hand over the Adirondack Phantoms.

The San Jose Sharks currently have 15 players on their roster that have spent time in Worcester (Couture, Desjardins, Pavelski, Sheppard, Wingels, Braun, Demers, Stalock, Irwin, Vlasic, Nieto, Hamilton, McCarthy, Kearns, and Hayes).

The San Jose Sharks are currently in 2nd place in the Pacific Division and 4th place in the Western Conference with 60 points and a 27-10-6 record.

Veteran Bracken Kearns is tied for the team lead with 18 points (5-13-18), tops in power play points (3-7-10), and has played in his 500th AHL game on Dec 28 vs. The IceCaps. Kearns was recalled by the SJ Sharks on Dec 28 and scored his 1st NHL goal in a 3-1 win over the Ducks on Dec 29. Bracken currently has three goals in six games with the SJ Sharks this season and is currently on recall.

Despite missing 11 games due to injury, Daniil Tarasov is tied for the team lead with 18 points (9-9-18) through just 21 games. Tarasov has three game winning goals and also has a shootout game winner.

2nd year pro Freddie Hamilton leads the club with 11 goals, tied for the team lead in points (11-7-18), and tops with four 1st goals. Freddie is currently on recall with the SJ Sharks and has played in ten games (0-0-0).

Rewind the Tape:12.31.13 – Adirondack 2 – Worcester 1 – L – Glens Falls Civic Center
The Worcester Sharks (13-13-2-1, 29pts) closed out the 2013 calendar year with a hard fought 2-1 loss to the host Adirondack Phantoms (16-13-0-2, 34pts) in front of 3,477 fans at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, NY on Tuesday evening. Marek Viedensky evened the score with 4:22 left in the third period for the Sharks but a late strike by Kris Newbury won the game for the Phantoms. The two teams combined for 90 penalty minutes in a physical affair as Harri Sateri was solid in net again for Worcester as he made 28 saves in the loss.

1.3.14 – Providence 3 – Worcester 0 – L – Dunkin Donuts Center
The Worcester Sharks (13-14-2-1, 29pts) began the 2014 calendar year with a 3-0 loss to the host Providence Bruins (18-10-1-5, 42pts) in front of 8,996 fans at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI on Friday evening. Nick Johnson and Alex Khokhlachev each had a goal and an assist while Malcolm Subban made 25 saves for his 1st professional shutout for the Bruins. Sharks netminder Troy Grosenick made 27 saves in the loss for Worcester as the Sharks were shutout for the 3rd time in their last six games overall.
1.4.14 – Hartford 2 – Worcester 3 – W – XL Center
The Worcester Sharks (14-14-2-1, 31pts) earned a 3-2 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack (11-17-0-5, 27pts) in front of 4,712 fans at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on Saturday evening. Dan DaSilva and Sebastian Stalberg scored 1st period power play goals for Worcester while Harri Sateri was brilliant in net as he made 30 saves in his 8th victory of the season. Curt Gogol scored the game winning goal midway through the middle frame as Worcester snapped an eight game losing skid at the XL Center with the victory.